Gang Gang Cockatoo

GANG GANG COCKATOO Callocephalon fimbriatum

 In a cotoneaster shrub at the edge of the Kilmore to Lancefield Road this afternoon, a dull, overcast afternoon, there were flashes of red as I drove past in the car. I thought they were galahs resting. I turned around and pulled up to find three or four shrubs, full of Gang Gang Cockatoos, feeding on the bright red fruit.

 Above the sound of the cars going past, I could hear the birds crunching on the large bunches of ripe fruit. The cockatoos were very settled and undisturbed by the cars passing by just metres away, and me standing with my camera within a few just a few metres.











 Most of the group of twenty or so birds seemed to be young males, with the red feathers on the head, just beginning to emerge. The adult males stood out with their much more brilliant red faces and crests.

Golden Whistler

GOLDEN WHISTLER Pachycephala pectoralis

 

Golden Whistler Female and Juvenile

 We have had very heavy rain and strong winds over the last few days. This has been the first of our autumn falls this year. We have waited many weeks for the coming of the rain this year.










I went out for a look around after the rain. It was still very cold with a strong wind blowing but the sun was bright between the clouds.









I was watching these 'little brown birds'  behind the Kilmore Cricket ground. There were a number of them hunting for insects amongst the leaf litter, catching up after the wild weather. They seemed quite comfortable with me being nearby.

I picked them out to be Jacky Winters, reasonably common in this area.

Golden Whistler Male

A few moments later and a flash of yellow landed on a low branch beside me. He too was busy turning over leaves  and bark in his search for insects. he was easy to identify, a Golden Whistler.

I know they are about this area, but I cannot remember seeing one for a long time.






And of course the 'little brown birds' are not JackyWinters, but female or young Golden Whistlers.

Golden Headed Cisticola

CISTICOLA, GOLDEN-HEADED Cisticola exilis

 


I have not seen, perhaps not noticed, these little birds in the area before. I have seen them at the Western Treatment Plant at Point Wilson, and I am pretty sure they are the same bird, golden-headed cisticola.






I found these between the hills at the end of Moores  Road, few kilometres to the west of the Kilmore township. Between these hills is Linton's Creek which eventually joins to the Deep Creek around Bulla and theTullamarine Airport, before joining the Maribyrnong River and entering into Port Phillip Bay.




 Called 'golden-headed', my books show the female and the non-breeding males have black streaking through the crown of the head. In males,  the crown turns to gold during breeding times, hence golden-headed. They have a little crest to add a bit of character to their otherwise small faces.






I saw a small flock today perching on the stems of some rushes, picking at the seed heads. They are tiny birds and their weight was supported well by the narrow spines of the rush plants.







 


This final picture is one taken at the Western Treatment Plant at Point Wilson, in May 2017. The colouring is very similar.

Down On The Farm

IBIS AND COCKATOOS

The birds have been very quiet around Kilmore in the last weeks.

Now half way into autumn, there is a little more activity.

Driving about the district yesterday, I found quite a party going on around the yards on one of our farms.




The sulphur-crested cockatoos were busy going through the remains from the hay that fed out that morning.





This flame robin was very interested on what was going on around the yards but kept his distance, happy just to watch.

The flamboyant brightness of the male flame robin's chest, stand out from a great distance. A little more orange in colouring  than the flame robin, he is easy to spot on a cloudy day.
























The Australian Ibis are always on the lookout for an easy meal. This group spent a little while watching from a safe place before coming down to feed amongst the grain and stalks left lying on the ground.

 

Three Birds In A Tree

IBIS, SPOONBILL & CORMORANT

Little Corellas Cacatua sanguinea

It was a morning for sun-baking. A very still and warm morning.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

The corellas and cockatoos were making a terrific noise as they flew in and out amongst the trees.

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

These three were oblivious to all the fuss as they soaked up the morning sun. They sat for half an hour before, one after the other, as if by agreement, flying off to whatever business they had to do for the day.

Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca

Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes

  

Gang Gang Cockatoo

GANG GANG COCKATOO Callocephalon fimbriatum

 




We often hear Gang Gang Cockatoos flying over the bush and the golf curse in Kilmore. They do not often stop long so it difficult to catch a good glimpse of them.

This morning, it was very windy. This small group were sitting in trees adjacent to the cricket ground before flapping off to the bushy area around the Monument Hill.

 
When my children were young they called these cockatoos 'the rusty gate cockies' Their call is just that, the screech of rusty farm gates.








 Most of this group seem to be young male birds, their heads have not yet developed the deep red colour of the adult males and they have a noticeable red tinge to their grey chest feathers.

Surprises

WHEN ONE SITS STILL....

Young Black Wallaby

I heard a  very talented bird watcher and photographer say that the best thing about slow days in the bush is having to sit in an appropriate spot and then just wait for the birds to come to him.

Very sound advice. 

It was a very windy day today and it was a little cool when the sun moved behind the clouds.

With the wind blowing it was difficult to hear the birds as they called to each other,  and difficult to see them moving, against the waving of leaves and twigs.

Grey Fantail

 

So I just sat for a while.

Red-bellied Black Snake

A number of small honeyeaters arrived, some busy grey-fantails and two other visitors I have not  this summer, a mother and baby black wallaby and a sleepy red-bellied black snake.

The black snake was a little slow, the cooler weather today making him sluggish.

Yellow-Faced Honeyeater

 

I must make an effort to do a lot more sitting and watching..

Not Too Sure!!

JUST WHAT IS IT??

I am really guessing with this bird.

At first I thought it might be a common thrush. No, I know those from my own garden and I don't think that is what it is. The feet are the wrong colour.




Metallic starling? It could be but the eyes of this bird are quite brown whilst the starlings are more a reddish colour.






Grey streaked flycatcher? Wrong part of the country, far too south for this occasional visitor from the north.



Siberian thrush? No! the face of this bird is too grey, no speckles.

Bassian Thrush. No again, the head is too grey.



Pippit? Too large.







So what is left?




Olive Backed Orieol.

It could be a juvenile Rufous Whistler. Too small I think.

Perhaps it is a young Grey Shrike Thrush.













I am quite unsure.



If I have to make a choice I will go for the young Grey Shrike Thrush.

Kingfishers

SACRED KINGFISHER Todiramphus sanctus

 I saw several kingfishers this morning in the Goldie Nature Reserve towards Lancefield.


 It is a very dry area of land, thickly timbered with plenty of fallen trees, dry branches and brittle grass. There are a few birds in the area, the trees are probably a little dense for a larger variety.






I was surprised to see several of these kingfishers, because the area is very dry, no creeks or waterways nearby. Each of he birds would sit on a branch before dropping down to pick something to eat from amongst the twigs and sticks. I could not see what they were gathering but I did see a number of small lizards amongst the litter.










The birds were bigger than ones I have seen around the Kilmore Hospital Reservoir and with different markings. I think those smaller ones were Forest Kingfishers. These larger birds today I think are the Sacred Kingfisher.

 

 

Early Autumn

Very Quiet in Early Autumn

It was windy and a little cool this morning and the birds were scarce. I tried several of my usual haunts but other than a few heads from the bushes, there wasn't a lot to see.

There were a few little brown birds amongst the last of the blackberries but they were wary and moving quickly.

Even the swamp-hens were  very quick to get out of my way.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Kilmore East

Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Kilmore East

Australian White Ibis, Hospital Reservoir

Kookaburra, Hospital Reservoir

Purple Swamp Hen, Hospital Reservoir